Ash-hod



N. H. ANDREWS. Ash-Hod.

"No. 226,589. Patented.April 20,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NAHUM H. ANDREWS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

ASH-HOD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 226,589, dated April 20, 1880.

I Application filed December 24, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, NAHUM H. ANDREWS, of the city of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Ash Cans or Hods, which improvements are fully, clearly, and concisely set forth in the following specification, and in the drawings accompanying the same.

My improvement consists in providing an ash can or hod with a door that opens directly into the can and has a notched push-piece secured to it for pressing the door inward, and is further provided with a spring secured to the can and to the door, for automatically closing the door when released from its closed position, the object being to prevent any of the dust from ashes escaping into the room.

In taking up the -'ashes from a fire-place, grate, or stove much discomfort arises from the lighter particles rising into the air and becoming deposited upon the furniture, carpets, &c., in the room, and the advantages of my invention will be easily understood and appreciated by all members of a household.

The door is hinged at one edge, opens inward, and its edges overlap the edges of the opening, so as to completely prevent any escape of dust from the ashes when it is closed. It is opened for the introduction of the ashes by pushing the point of the shovel against it, or bearing the weight of the shovel upon it when the location of it is upon the top or in the lid of the can.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ash-can to which my improvement is applied, the operation of discharging the ashes from the shovel into the can through a door in the top lid being understood by the figure. Fig. 2 is a top view of the can with the door closed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an inclosed can or hod with the lid removed, which may be used for the same purpose. In this view the self-closin g door is shown inside of the spout on one side. Fig. 4 shows a detail of the door 7 (an edge section) and its attachments seen in A is the ash-can, which is made dust-tight. In the view Fig. 1 the lid is fitted on in the ordinary way, similar to that of a lard-can, and the door a is hinged over the hole I) in the lid.

After filling the shovel with ashes it is carried by the hand over the door, the point of the shovel toward the free end of the latter, and pressed down upon it, when it is opened sufficiently (as shown in the figure) to allow the ashes to be wholly discharged within the can, when it is quickly withdrawn, andthe door a instantly closes again before any of the dust from the ashes can escape.

In filling the ashes into a dust-tight hod, such as is shown in Fig. 3, the shovel is pressed against the small projection 0 (formed by a bent piece of tin or othfimetal formed with a notch in it) on the lower or free end of the door a. The object of this attachment to the door, when the latter is used on the side of a can or hod, is to receive the point of the shovel, and to prevent it from slipping off the door before the ashes in it are discharged.

In attaching the door a to the side of the hod or can it is hinged at the top of the opening, which its free edges overlap the same as when hinged at the top.

The spring (I is made of a flat strip or of wire, one or both ends securely fastened to the fixed side or top of the can, and the free part bent so as to bear upon the inside of the door near its central line.

The distance to which the door opens can be regulated by the length and elasticity of the spring.

I am aware that stoves have been provided with hinged doors having a weighted lever attached thereto for returning the door to its closed position. I am also aware that coffeepots, &c., have been made with a receiving funnel-valve and weighted lever for operating the same. Tea-kettles and ash-pans have been made having valves operated bylevers. Such forms of construction are quite dili'erent from mine, and therefore I do not claim them.

I claim as my improvement In an ash pan or hod, the combination of a door, to, opening into the can, and provided with a notched push-piece, c, with a spring, d, secured at its top to the rim of the can, and its intermediate bend secured to the door, for automatically closing the door when released from its opened position, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

NAHUM H. ANDREWS.

Attest:

J. W. OoUL'rER, L. D. BANISTER. 

